Vikings rapid reaction: Beat Jets, Thielen ties record

This is a quick reaction post. My column will post later on startribune.com and be in the Monday newspaper, and will highlight Adam Thielen.

There was wind. There was ugliness, and sloppiness. And by the end of a chilly day at MetLife Stadium, the Vikings had scored 37 points, had won going away, and had secured a piece of an NFL record for Adam Thielen.

Good teams tend to win as a matter of habit, and the Vikings have been forming one of late, as they exhibited with their 37-17 victory over the Jets on Sunday.

The Vikings have won three straight heading into their showdown with New Orleans next Sunday night, moving to 4-2-1 on the season and moving into first place in the NFC North.

Thielen reached 100 receiving yards for the seventh time in his first seven games this season, matching Charlie Hennigan’s NFL record to start a season, set in 1961.

With Latavius Murray running for two touchdowns and Kirk Cousins avoiding interceptions on a day that made passes wobble like confetti, the Vikings kept rookie quarterback Sam Darnold off balance and survived another rash of injuries, including one to Xavier Rhodes’ leg.

Thielen took a shot to the jaw late in the game, spat blood on the sideline, but returned. He had already tied the record. He can make it his own against New Orleans on Sunday.

The Vikings are 6-5-1 with four games remaining and their spotty play on Sunday provided another reminder that we have little evidence, apart from preseason prognostications, that they are a good team.

What's fascinating about covering the NFL is that every week everyone knows what the coaching staffs should be trying to accomplish, yet so often the coaching staffs fail to make it happen. It's different when you cover a Patriots game. Bill Belichick usually makes it happen.